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Friday, September 5, 2014

As many
of the people who know me are aware, I am what one might consider to
be an “ATLUS-faithful”. ATLUS is one of my favorite developers
because of how they shamelessly stick to the things that make
old-school JRPGs charming, while reinventing the other aspects as
they see fit. I make no secret of the fact that Persona 4 is in close
competition as one of my all-time favorite games (following behind
Dark Cloud 2 and Wild Arms 3). Having said that, there are still many
Shin Megami Tensei games that I have never played before. As a
result, I have been trying to “catch up” on the games that I
missed. This process is started by the game I will be talking about
in this post: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha
Vs. King Abaddon (RK2). This is the direct sequel to Shin Megami
Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha Vs. The Soulless Army, a game
I played a long time ago, back when it was released on the PS2. The
game, and its predecessor, are unique for not only how they continue
on the traditions of the SMT franchise, but also in how they defy
other such traditions.

One of
the biggest differences between RK2 and other SMT games is the
difference in the overall tone. Shin Megami Tensei games tend to have
very dark outlooks of the world and the themes they use. Devil
Summoner is different in this regard. Instead of conforming to the
bleakness of the franchise, the overall tone falls more into the
realm of camp. It feels more at home being compared to an anime from
the 70s than it does an SMT story. The premise of the game alone,
being that a shadowy group of hillbilly ninjas is threatening the
Capital of Japan by using specialized insects to steal people's luck
and the player acts as a demon summoner/detective who is on the case,
is a prime example of this. The game is fully aware of how absurd it
is, and reveals in that absurdity.

The
setting bolsters this uniqueness, taking place in 1930s-Japan. Very
few games actually use this era in Japanese history as their
backdrop, which makes Devil Summoner 2 even more interesting. Most
SMT games take place in either the modern world or in a
post-apocalyptic near-future, and most JRPGs take place in a classic
fantasy. With this period, RK2 provides an interesting glimpse into
Japanese history, when looking at how people interact with each other
and the world around them. Not to say that it is completely
historically accurate, as I sincerely doubt 1930s-Japan was plagued
by demons and evil insects that steal luck. However, the fact that it
takes advantage of an underused setting gives the Raidou Kuzunoha
sub-franchise a look and feel all its own.

Another
difference between RK2 and most other SMT games is the combat. Where
most Shin Megami Tensei games are turn-based in their combat, Devil
Summoner 2, like its predecessor, takes place in real time. Bringing
two demons in battle, the protagonist comes equipped with a sword and
gun. He can command his demons to use their skills, which consume his
magical energies. If their attacks exploit a weakness, the enemy will
be stunned. Further attacks on a foe in a stunned state will result
in them releasing magical energy. In other words, if the player keeps
exploiting weaknesses, they can use skills almost infinitely. The
player can also guard attacks to reduce damage and hide demons from
attacks to keep them alive. It is fairly intuitive system that never
gets particularly difficult. As a consequence, there is no challenge
to it. Once the player is aware of a enemies weakness, it is simply a
matter of using the correct moves and then mashing the attack button.
While it works, it is only interesting enough to keep players
progressing through the story, which is the clear highlight.

Having
said all of that, the game is still a Shin Megami Tensei game at its
core. As is typical of games bearing that distinction, enlisting and
summon mythical creatures from various religions and mythologies (SMT
throws them all under the blanket term “demons”) to aid the
protagonist. During a random encounter, players can choose to halt
the battle in order to talk to the demons that they are fighting
against. If the conversation goes well, they can begin negotiations
with their enemy. When the player acquiesces to the demands set forth
by the other party, they will join up with the protagonist and become
part of the player party. New demons can also be acquired by fusing
other demons in their employ. Should they register their creatures
before they either fuse or dismiss them from service, then they can
even pay to have them added back into the roster, with the stats they
possessed at the time of registration.

These
demons also serve as they way players progress through the game. Of
course, their primary purpose is to help form the player's fighting
party. Every demon has their own strengths and weaknesses. It is up
to the player to switch in/out the ones which are best suited to the
current situation. For example, a demon who excels at fire magic will
generally be strong against demons with wings, but not against those
with ice magic. However, this is not their only purpose mid-battle.
Should the player choose to begin conversation and negotiation, their
demons can help assist in the conversation. Each one has their own
conversational skill, and those skills have different effects on
different demons. Lastly, they are also used during exploration, as
their abilities can either destroy certain obstacles in the field or
get to locations the protagonist is unable to go to themselves. When
playing the game, the player needs to consider all three avenues of
usefulness when constructing their party. In some cases, it might be
a good idea to keep a very low-level demon because they possess
abilities, either in negotiations or in the field, which make them
useful. The system is very interesting and requires a lot of thought
from the player.

Although
the monsters are clearly the star of the show most of the time, the
protagonist is no less important. In classic SMT fashion, the player
character is a bit of a blank slate, with a set backstory to help
facilitate immersion in the story. The character in question is a
high school student (although that fact rarely ever comes up) who has
been training his whole life to live as a Devil Summoner. Though the
player gives him a true name, he has attained the rank and title of
Great Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha the XIVth, tasked with protecting the
Capital from demonic and supernatural threats. As a cover, he works
part-time at a detective agency, to give him a plausible reason to
conduct his investigations into these threats.

What
makes him a particularly intriging protagonist, and fairly in line
with what players expect from a Shin Megami Tensei game, is that
while his actions in the game plot do not change, the player is
ultimately who decides what his motivations are. Throughout the game,
players make dialog choices for the lead character. As these
decisions are made, the game adjusts the protagonists alignment on a
scale of Law and Chaos. No matter what, he is a good person trying to
help the people. The real choice is between why he does it. Does he
do what he does simply because he has accepted the responsibility of
being Raidou Kuzunoha and all that title entails? Or is he simply
using the mantel as a means to protect the people because that is
what his true desire are, ready to abandon the role if it no longer
suited that purpose? Or does the answer lie somewhere in the middle?
The game does not judge either side of Law or Chaos particularly
harshly, and shows the positives and negatives of both types of
virtuousness. The characters who represent Law and Chaos in the
narrative are readily aware of the advantages of the other side and
the flaws they possess. It never feels heavy handed and is actually
quite maturely handled.

Overall,
while Devil Summoner 2 has flaws, it is a unique and interesting
enough game that it feels like a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed it
for most of my playthrough, only getting annoyed at the length of the
final dungeon. For the price you get it on the PlayStation Network
now, I would say it is easily worth the investment. Though it is
different from standard SMT games in many ways, it used the more
familiar elements to make franchise fans feel just as at home as they
would be in other games. Newcomers to the franchise are best served
by playing either this, its predecessor, or Persona 3/4 because they
are by far more friendly to new players than other games in the
franchise are. After that, they might want to consider jumping off
into the more difficult ATLUS games.